The Hindenburg in Flames: How a Photograph Marked the End of the Airship

When it went down in flames, the Hindenburg went down in history. The era of airship travel ended with a disastrous explosion May 6, 1937. Sam Shere’s photo of the Hindenburg in flames has been called the most famous news photograph ever taken. The entire episode—from first flash to destruction—took less than a minute. It happened so fast that Shere, who could feel the heat of the burning airship, had no time to raise his camera to his eye. His famous photo, which was the first ever to show a major air disaster as it happened, was shot from the hip.